Bookcase construction



Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

JAMES A. RICHARDS, OF GYRANID RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO 'II-IE ,GUNN FTJIRNIII- TUBE COMPANY, 0F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, CORFORATNIOIN OF MICHIGAN.

BOOKCASE CONSTRUCTION.

.Application .filed april 7, 1.92.*-

lo all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES A. iRiGriAnns, a citizen of the United Statesof A.nieriea, residing atGrand Rapids, in the county oit Kent and State o1l\`1ichiga-n, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bookcase Construction; and I do hereby declare lthe following to be a Efull, clear, and exact (pilesjcription ot' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and .use the saine.

This invention relates .to book cases and has .particular reference to ,the Aconnetting means used for attaching .the vtop .eta book case made substantially as outlined .in .my prior .application for Patent lSer. No. 701,- 331, filed March 24, 19241, tothe ends and the upper front and rear rai-ls thereof. The kpresent `invention is in parta division of ,said application and in part an .improvement thereover, means being used der the attachment of `the `top whereby ysaid ,ftop may be readily attached and when in placevservesto lock the parts together lagainst separation. In addition the `Construction is such that no skilled laboris required for vasseinbling the `parts .nor .are any tools used, the construction being `all .made complete inthe facn tory.

For an iinderstanding of the invention1 vreference may gbe .had to .the lfollowing `description, taken .in cenneetion .with Vthe accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a :fragmentary vertical section taken through the upper ,part of the book case and from front to rear therethrough.

Fig. .2 is a fragmentary jperspective view of an inner upper corner of ,the `book kcase showingthe connection of an lend, 4the top, and the upper front rail.

Fig. 3 is a like view, the `top being ,re-

n moved.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of .the connecting ldevice attached to and carried by .the ,ends ofthe book case, and

Fig. 5 is a like view `oft .thecoacting connecting 4device attached to and ,carried iby ,the front Vand rear upper rails of A,the book ease Like Areference characters refer to llike parts in the ,di/Herent figures Aof ,the drawing."

The book ease 'includes ends 1 spaced apart, with which are associated front Vand rear upper rails y2 .3 and a top 4 for Serial AfNe. 794,734.

.the thickness ot the Arib (for a purpose which will later appear.

Qn the inner Side oli' .each end member 1 and adjacent `both its trent and ,rear edges,

l a member lmade @trom a single pieceof sheet metal is secured. `Said .menjiber comprises a ,plate 5 which lies against the inner side of the end `member 1 and issecured thereto `by screws 6. At its ,upper rend 1t Iis bent inwardl at rio'ht ,angles makin@ a section 7 d o. 9 lo r 7 the uppervside of whieh lies flush with the upper edge oit `the end member 1, and which `is Aprovided in .its yfrontend rear edges with slots v8, as shown. Frein a kvertical ledge of the Vplate 5 asectionlf) is turned inwardlyat yright angles Vtor a `short distance and .then

again turned at right angles making a section 1Q which is spaced from theend niember 1,but `parallels 1the saine. fllhe sect-ions 9 and 10 .are of lless `height.than the section 5 and at `the cerner vat the .junction `ofsaid sections, a slot 11 is out dewnwardly from their upper edges substantiallyhaltet 'the 4vertical gheight thereof.

,Qn the inner sides of both `vthettront and yback rails 2 and 8, a similar member made `from a `single Epiece of sheet metal is at- `tached adj aieenteaeh endet' each rail. Each ,of said members includes a ,plate 12 which liesagainst the inner `side kof each `rail 2 ,or 3

.and isse'cured thereto by screws 1,3. `A sec- `tion 14. is bent at riglit angles zinwardly for a short distance Sfrom the edgeof l.the plate `12 andis then again bent at right angles .to

,ina-ke a section 15, the I'cornerbetween sections 141 and lgbeing slotted ,upwardly 1as at 16, 'tor substantially halt ot the vertical lheight of ithe said sections. By .making the Vslots 11 and 1G in said members, Afingers .10 and 15a Aare provided, the Bernier extending yupwardly trom section 1() and the .latter downwardly from section 15.

' In assembling the end `members `1 and the front and rear upper rails 2 and 3, said rails yat their ends A:are guided into `suitable slotsat vthe innersides of .the end members,

,there lbeing suitable tongues, as shown yat 2b in 23, the ends of .the rails it@ .lf-it said slots or grooves in the end members of the book case. lith the assembly of these end members and front and rear rails, the sheet metal members interlock, fingers 10a passing alongside of the upper portions of the sections 14 and iingers 15*L alongside the lower portions of the sections 9, the slots 11 and 16 permitting the ready interconnection of the said members, as is evident.

After the ends 1 and the upper rails 2 and 3 have been thus secured together, the top 4 is attached. The top is equipped on its under side with headed screws 17, four in number positioned one adjacent each corner of the top and is also provided at its rear edge with a number of turn buttons 1S which are secured in place by screws 19, permitting the buttons to be turned about the screws. In one position of the buttons, the same extend below the lower side of the top while if turned through a half circle from such position, no part of the buttons extends below such lower side of the top. IVith the buttons turned to the latter position, the top may be placed so that its groove 4a receives the tongue 2n, the top being located as far forward as possible and as permitted by the wide groove 4a and the narrower tongue 2LL se that the heads of the screws come in front of the parts 7 with the shanks of the screws in alinement with the front slots 8 in said parts 7. Then by moving the top to the rear, the shanks of the screws 17 enter said slots 8 with the heads below the sections 7, which prevents upward movement of the top. lVhe-n moved to the rear until the tongue 2 engages against the front side ot the groove 4, the rear edge of the top comes flush with the rear side of the back rail 3, whereupon the turn buttons 18 are turned downwardly to the position shown in F ig. 1, thereby locking the top from movement in a forward direction and holding the screws 17 secured to the top in engagement with the parts 7 so that the top is securely locked against disengagement from the remainder of the book case. For removal of the top, it is only necessary to turn the buttons upwardly so that the top may be freed for forward movement to disengage the screws 17 from the parts 7. No tools of anycharacter are. required in either the assembly or the disassembly of the structure.

The construction described is simple, rela-- tively inexpensive and practical in all respects. The top is not liable to become accidentally disengaged as the buttons 18 are located at the back of the book case which, in practice, is nearly always against a wall or partition in a building where it cannot be readily reached for operation without designedly moving the book case outward. So that to all practical intents and purposes, in use, lthe book case is a permanent strncture. The appended claims define the invention which is to be considered as comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a book case construction, end members, front and rear upper rails located horiM zontally between the end members, interengaging connecting devices attached to the said rails and end members, said devices connected to the end members having horizontally loca-ted upper sections having upper sides in the same plane with the upper edges of the said end members, said upper sections being slotted, a top over the said end members and rails, and headed members attached to and depending from the under side of the top, the shanks thereof being received in said slots in said upper sections of said devices, substantially as and for the purposes described.

'2. In a book case construction, vertical end members, front and rear upper cross rails between the end members, one of the rails having anY upwardly projecting tongue, interengaging devices permanently secured to the end members and to the said cross rails for connecting the said end members and cross rails together, said devices attached to the end members being formed with horizontally located upper sections slotted in one side, a top located over the end members and cross rails formed on its under side with a groove wider than said tongue adapted to receive said tongue, headed screws connected with and depending from the top and located in position to engage with said upper horizontal sections on bodily movement of the top in one direction whereby the shanks of said screws will enter the slots in said upper horizontal sections, the groove in the top being wide enough to permit said movement, and means on the top te engage with the other of said rails to hold the top from movement in the opposite direction to thereby disengage said screws from said sections of said devices.

3. In a book case construction, a vertical end member, a, metal device attached to the inner side of and adjacent each vertical edge of said end member, each of said devices having a section at its upper end turned to lie in a substantially horizontal plane, said sections being slotted from one edge inward ly for a distance, upper front and rear rails having ends bearing against the end member, metal devices connected to said rails adjacent the ends thereof, means formed on said devices on the end member and on the rails for detachably connecting the same together, and a top lying' over the end member and rails provided with means engaging in said slots in said upper horizontal sections to hold the top against upward movement Iwith respect to said sections,

4. In a book ease construction, vertical end members, upper front and rear cross rails between the end members and connected thereto, a top provided with a plurality of headed screws depending therefrom at its under side, metal members attached to said end members having horizontal slotted sections at their upper ends, said top being secured thereto by moving the same bodily in a horizontal plane in one direction to enter the shanks ot the screws in said slots of said horizontal sections, and means to hold the top from bodily movement in a horizontal plane in the opposite direction, said means being releasable to permit such movement.

5. In a book case construction, vertical end members, trent and rear upper horizontal rails between the end members, means tor connecting the rails detaehably to said end members, one ot said rails having an upwardly projecting tongue, a top located over the rails and end members and having a groove to receive the tongue, said groove being wider than the thickness of the tongue whereby said top may have a limited movement back and 'forth in a horizontal plane, and interengaging means on the top and end members, said means engaging and connecting the top and end members when the top is moved in one direction in a horizontal plane, and disengaging and freeing the top when moved in the opposite direction.

6. In a book case construction, vertica ends, upper front and rear horizontal rails between the ends and connected thereto, a'

-tlat top, one of said rails having an upstanding tongue and the top having a groove in its under side wider than the thickness Ot' the tongue to receive said tongue and permitting a limited forward and back movement oit the top in a horizontal plane, a metal member attached to each end on its inner side and adjacent both its vertical edges, said member having a horizontally turned section at its upper end slotted in one edge, headed members connected with and depending 'from the under side of the top, the Shanks ot said members being located to enter said slots on horizontal movement of the top in one direc tion, and turn buttons mounted at the edge of the top opposite that adjacent which the groove is located adapted te be turned to engage with the other of said rails to hold the top from said horizontal movement after said headed members have engaged with the horizontally turned sections ot said metal members.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

JAMES A. RICHARDS. 

